For the past eight years, Intervale Associates (www.intervale.ca), a nonprofit organization based in Newfoundland and Labrador, has been demonstrating the benefits of peat filter wastewater treatment systems to rural communities in the Province.  Our goal is to educate people about how the use of sphagnum peat for wastewater treatment can help meet the needs of rural communities in many regions of the world. This wastewater treatment system can be used for homes, businesses, schools, and tourist attractions. It is already in place in four areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, including Gros Morne National Park and LAnse aux Meadows National Historic Site.  A 23-minute educational DVD is available.  Filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador, this DVD describes the beneficial uses of sphagnum peat and its application to treating wastewater in Newfoundland and Labrador. The DVD has been of interest to a wide range of audiences, including municipalities, schools, universities, and environmental managers.  For further information about peat wastewater treatment systems or to purchase a copy of the DVD ($15 plus shipping and handling) contact Intervale:  kblanchard@intervale.ca.

ACAP Humber Arm is pleased to announce our next Coastal Matters speaker’s series will be a presentation by the Mayor of Corner Brook, Neville Greeley.  Mayor Greeley has titled his presentation Building a Sustainable Community in Corner Brook.  An abstract for the presentation can be found below. 

There will be a question and answer session following the presentation.  Coastal Matters presentations are free of charge and open to the public.  Please feel free to bring your lunch.  Tea and coffee will be available.

ABSTRACT FOR GREELEY PRESENTATION

Building A Sustainable Community in Corner Brook

In order for a community to be sustainable it has to continually adjust to meet the social, cultural and economic needs of its residents while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come.  While Corner Brook is evolving toward sustainability and more sustainable practices, creating sustainability is a learning process. The City of Corner Brook is committed to the development and implementation a wide variety of projects aimed at promoting sustainability in Corner Brook. This presentation will identify the City’s goals to minimize adverse environmental impact; integrate sustainable policies into community governance and operation; improve municipal working and living environments and foster a culture committed to sustainability within the community.

For further information:

Sheldon Peddle, Executive Director
ACAP Humber Arm Environmental Association Inc.
phone 709.637.2883

What is a Great Meal?
A “Great Meals for a Change” dinner involves sharing a delicious meal, prepared with intentional ingredients, and taking part in a series of activities over the course of a meal. The activities are simple, fun, and help dinner guests to expand their understanding of the principles of sustainable food, and how to apply them in their own lives.

The training dinner prepares guests to host a similar meal in there home with friends. This education program is being run in St. John’s by Carla Taylor, as part of an Atlantic Canada action research project through Acadia University.

When are the trainings?
There will be two separate host-training dinners in St. John’s, NL at 6 pm on Sat. January 22, & Sun. January 23.

Participants must sign-up in advance. Please contact Carla at 709-740-5104, taylor.carla.d@gmail.com for registration and more information. Thanks for your interest!

The Annual Volunteerism Luncheon of the Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador has been a tremendous success in connecting the volunteer and non-profit community.  The 2011 Luncheon will be held on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at the Royal Canadian Legion on Blackmarsh Road.

The Annual Volunteerism Luncheon is a time to begin thinking about how you can say a special thank you to volunteers during Volunteer Week.  It also focuses on the large network of volunteers within our community, all of whom contribute so much to our communities and our lives.

This is also great opportunity to network, see old friends, and make new ones.  The event provides the opportunity to share your experiences in a cheerful environment where you can feel the appreciation for the great work being done by groups and volunteers across the province.

Tickets for the luncheon are $20.00 each.  This event sells out quickly, so please register early to reserve your seat.

A registration form is attached or register online at: http://events.envision.ca/volunteerweek.

The issue of oil exploitation in the Gulf of St. Lawernce has recently been highly discussed in the media. Indeed, drilling in the Old Harry site, located in the Gulf, seems increasingly possible. The Gulf of St. Lawrence and its coasts, a unique environment, already shares its resources among five Canadian provinces. Thus, the possible development of a new industry in these waters requires a joint discussion. In this context, the Municipality of Magdalen Islands has agreed to gather Gulf’s coastal communities to an interprovincial Forum, on April 8 and 9, 2011, in the Magdalen Islands.

Under the title Exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Gulf of St. Lawrence: concerns of coastal communities, the Forum will bring together stakeholders from communities around the Gulf (NS, NB, PEI and NL). The Forum’s objectives are providing information needed to develop a strategic position on hydrocarbons issues.

For more details on the event, please contact Cathering Chevrier-Turbide, Project Manager, at 418-986-2225, ext 226.

For complete conference details: http://www.muniles.ca/forumhydrocarbures_english.html

Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador (CCNL) is currently seeking proposals for funding through the Green Team Program. Community Partners are eligible to receive funding and assistance from the Conservation Corps associated with hiring youth to work on their proposed community project. CCNL searches for projects that meet the following criteria; involve the enhancement, restoration and sustainable development of natural or cultural resources; provide young people with an opportunity to develop leadership, teamwork and employment skills; and demonstrate broad community / regional support and partnerships. Successful projects are those that provide opportunities for teamwork, creative thinking and problem solving and which contribute to long-term sustainable development in the region. Participants should gain solid skills through meaningful community work. Community partnerships and contributions are important as well, and are taken into account when reviewing proposals.

Not-for-profits groups are eligible to apply to the Green Team Program. Educational institutions, regional economic development boards, private sector organizations (small business), provincial and federal governments are also eligible to apply but are encouraged to partner with a local community group.

TO Apply: Download application form at http://ccnl.ca/community-partners/, complete, submit electronically or by mail.

For more information contact:
Darren Feltham
Director of Programs
Suite 103, 10 Austin St.
St. John’s, NL A1B 4C2
Tel: (709) 729-7266
Fax: (709) 729-7270
Email: dfeltham@ccnl.ca

Application deadline is February 28^th, 2011

9:00am – 2:00pm, Lions Club Chalet on Bonaventure Avenue (St John’s)
This special holiday market will offer local arts, crafts, baked goods, jewelry, hot food, fresh produce, and much more. Tickets will also be sold for the annual raffle fundraiser for one of two amazing gift baskets filled with vendor donated goods, each valued at over $100.

It’s time to celebrate some good news — the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the Grand Bank yellowtail flounder trawl fishery and the simultaneous achievement of a significant conservation milestone for Grand Banks cod.

Before I joined WWF-Canada as a fisheries adviser for the Newfoundland and Labrador region in 2009, WWF was actively involved as one of a number of stakeholders in the certification process.

The goal was to ensure that the yellowtail flounder fishery on the Grand Banks was sustainable for the long term and conducted with minimal impact on Atlantic cod, other fragile stocks and the marine ecosystem.

As a Newfoundlander, I am particularly proud to celebrate this certification and the commitment of our province’s fishing industry to create a better future for our fisheries.

In previous years, the yellowtail flounder fishery was responsible for a significant level of unintentional catch (called bycatch) of Grand Banks cod, a stock which has been under moratorium since 1994. MSC certification is a strong verification that Ocean Choice International’s (OCI) efforts to improve the fishery have been successful. WWF promotes MSC because it rewards best fishing practices and gives less sustainable fisheries a powerful incentive to improve. Major retailers all over the globe, including many that purchase our province’s fish products, are promising its customers they will only sell sustainable seafood.

The trend towards continuously improving and eventually certifying all Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries is an important investment in our natural capital and the only business option if the industry hopes to continue selling quality seafood to eco-minded retailers.

OCI earned the coveted MSC eco-label by departing from a “business as usual” approach.

The most important outcome was the reduction of cod bycatch by using measures such as more selective fishing gear.

The company is aiming to demonstrate sustainable marine stewardship of all its fish products and will soon have more than twothirds of its fish product portfolio under the globally recognized MSC umbrella.

The MSC certification of the yellowtail flounder fishery is good news for consumers who, now more than ever, are looking for sustainable seafood options.

This holiday season, why not purchase yellowtail flounder and other sustainable seafood such as northern prawn or shrimp, to serve to family and friends during the festivities? Look for local seafood products that bear the blue MSC checkmark eco-label. And for some great seafood recipes, may I suggest Joan Over’s book “The Newfoundland and Labrador Seafood Cookbook” (2003), which includes a number of yellowtail flounder and shrimp recipes: http://www.tidespoint.com/books/seafood_cookbook.shtml.

The MSC certification of yellowtail flounder is one of a number of efforts to reduce bycatch and promote cod recovery.

While there is still much to do to ensure the recovery of cod in Canadian and adjacent international fisheries, now is a good time to pause for a little celebration, with the hope that one good news story will be followed by another.

By Shelley Dwyer
This Letter to the Editor was originally published December 11, 2010 in The Telegram

Shelley Dwyer is a fisheries conservation adviser with the Atlantic Region World Wildlife Fund.

Largest conservation deal in Atlantic Canada will save critical habitat for Woodland Caribou and the threatened Newfoundland Marten

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador: The race is on to save a 3,700-acre (1,497 hectare) untouched oasis home to reindeer (Woodland Caribou) and the threatened Newfoundland Marten but we need your help!

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) must raise $100,000 by the January to save the “Grassy Place” in Southwestern Newfoundland, which is one of the largest parcel of private land on the Island of Newfoundland.

The urgency to protect this incredible, unique place lies in the threat of losing habitat for the threatened species, Woodland Caribou, waterfowl and migratory birds that live here uninterrupted. This opportunity represents the largest private land conservation deal in Atlantic Canada and is seen as a highly important area to protect by scientists, the conservation community, governments and private individuals.

So what would be a better holiday gift than protecting an untouched piece of Canadian nature home to threatened species, Woodland Caribou, waterfowl and migratory birds?

By donating to the Grassy Place, not only will you help NCC save this incredible landscape, you will be helping save an untouched piece of Canada for all time. If NCC is successful in raising the remaining $100,000, the property will be forever left in its natural state. If the remaining $100,000 is not raised by the closing date, the property will go back on the open market.

To donate to NCC in efforts to protect the Grassy Place, call Douglas at 709.753.5540 or Alicia toll free at 1.866.319.5985.

QUOTES

“The conservation community has long been aware of the need to protect this incredibly large parcel of private land in southwestern Newfoundland. The Nature Conservancy of Canada needs your help today to protect this habitat for the caribou, Newfoundland Marten and other plants and animals that live there,” said Linda Stephenson, Regional Vice President for the Atlantic Region of NCC.

“For those who dream of wilderness, ‘Grassy Place’, located in the Robinson’s River Valley is one of the rare places left in insular Newfoundland where the human footprint is barely discernable,” said Aiden Mahoney, a passionate NCC volunteer and resident of Newfoundland and Labrador.

FACTS

· The Grassy Place is a gem hidden in the Long Range Mountains, the most northerly extension of the Appalachian Mountains in North America and has long been identified as an area of ecological significance.

· “Caribou” occur worldwide in the Northern Hemisphere and they are called different names depending on their location and habitat preference (e.g. Caribou in Newfoundland, Deer in the Arctic and Reindeer in Northwestern Europe.

· For decades, representatives of government and the conservation sector have attempted to secure and protect this valley, with no success.

· The Grassy Place is referred to as an oasis because of its location and wetlands. The Grassy Place contains the most extensive example of natural grassland in Newfoundland and Labrador.

· During the spring, sufficient water is backed up by melting ice and snow to flood the entire valley floor and this high-water period prevents any tree development on the floodplain. The absence of trees and shrubs in Newfoundland meadows are extremely rare at this scale.

· With a global population of fewer than 900, the Newfoundland Marten is a threatened forest-dependent mammal that lives in remote areas and needs a very large range in which to roam.

LEARN MORE

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the nation’s leading private land conservation organization, working to protect our valuable natural areas and the plants and animals they sustain.

Since 1962 NCC and its partners have helped to protect more than 2 million acres (800,000 hectares), coast to coast and over 8,300 acres (3,358 hectares) in Newfoundland and Labrador. By investing in conservation we are ensuring that our natural world remains a home for wildlife, a haven for recreation and a vital resource that cleans the air we breathe and the water we drink. Through strong partnerships NCC works to safeguard our natural areas so that our children and grandchildren will have the chance to enjoy them.

CONTACT: Crystal Folkins

Manager of Communications, Atlantic Region

The Nature Conservancy of Canada

Tel.: 506.292.5118

Crystal.Folkins@natureconservancy.ca

www.natureconservancy.ca

The 2010 Fall Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Scott Vaughan, was tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 7 December 2010. The report covers three important topics: oil spills from ships; federal monitoring of freshwater resources; and, climate change impacts and adaptation.

Lack of leadership hinders progress on environmental issues

Government not ready to respond to the impacts of a changing climate

Monitoring of Canada’s lakes and rivers is inadequate

Government not ready to respond to a major oil spill

To access full report: http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_201012_e_34435.html

Related:
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Public presentation and Q&A – 2010 Fall Report by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
7:00 pm, Junior Common Room, Gushue Hall, Memorial University, St. John’s